The maintenance and preservation of shorelines is an ever present concern for owners of structures located near large bodies of water. As the water continually laps against the shoreline or crashes into it wave after wave, the definition of the shoreline is prone to constant shifting and eroding. As one of ordinary skill in the art would understand, this constant shifting and eroding of the shoreline can cause problems for structures situated near it.
For instance, during a high tide or storm a beachfront house built atop pilings may experience waves crashing in front of and/or beneath it. As each wave crashes, water and sediment are thrown violently against the portion of the shoreline that is in front of or beneath the beachfront house. And, as each wave recedes after its crash, the shoreline itself is eroded away. Over time, this crashing and eroding inevitably combine to redefine the shoreline edge and, at some point, may turn the beachfront home into an “in front of the beach” home.
A common method for combating shoreline erosion is to construct a permanent wall, fence or seawall to act as a bulkhead between the structure and the water's edge. The bulkhead may be constructed from marine treated slats mounted to a series of posts, concrete block mortared to footings, piled up stones or sandbags, sheet metal driven into the ground and backed by pylons, or just about anything that stands a chance of holding up to the elements. As opposed to being a standalone structure, some bulkheads may actually be constructed from cross members permanently attached to the pilings that support a pier, beachfront home or other structure. Regardless of the specific construction, a permanent bulkhead serves as a retaining system for the shoreline behind it (where a structure such as a home may be located) and also as a barrier for preventing wave erosion.
Notably, shoreline preservation systems that take the form of a permanent bulkhead are considered “Hard Fixed Erosion Control Devices” that are outlawed in many areas. The permanent nature of their construction is considered by many authorities to be detrimental to the long term health of the shoreline and its ecosystem. Additionally, permanent bulkheads that are built off of pilings (such as a beachfront home pilings or pier pylons) can damage the pilings to such an extent that the structural integrity is compromised. Moreover, permanent bulkheads are often expensive and labor intensive to construct. Therefore, what is needed in the art is a system and method for shoreline preservation which is non-permanent and easily constructed. Further, what is needed in the art is a system and method for shoreline preservation that does not compromise the structural integrity of pilings or pylons.